The Crafty Monk

From the outside this place looked like it was going to be awesome. It had that unique vibe to it that looked both inviting and curious.
When you get inside he front doors you enter split between the bar and the restaurant side, not really knowing where you’re supposed to go to check in. Once we sat down we were greeted by a server who didn’t really seem to want to be there. It made us both laugh so we just shrugged it off. Our drinks came out in food time. But then the food… The specials for the night were very limited (on a Saturday too!). We ordered our food and my wife was brought out the wrong meal. We were told sorry and that it would be right out. 20 minutes later I’m done with dinner and she still hasn’t received hers. Meanwhile other people around us were getting their full table dinners. Still waiting… still waiting… We then were asked if we wanted another drink, with both our drinks still full on the table.
Her food came out eventually, but we just got it to go as it had got ridiculous. And the food wasn’t worth the hour wait.
This place is good for a beer or two, but I wouldn’t recommend it for a nice dinner out. Too bad!

The crafty monk has carved out a nice niche among beer connoisseurs in Bridgeport/​Fairfield area with their awesome beer selection. 40 craft beers on tap!!! Some are awesome but then again some are mediocre for my palate. One thing for sure is there is a beer for every palate.
Discovering subtle nuance or not so subtle nuance in different styles of brewing is an awesome journey! Let the knowledgeable bartenders be your guide in your beer journey!!! They are opinionated for sure. However they are a perfect companion in gastro journey.
I went to the Monk last night to try different double IPA. The Monk was packed!!! I enjoyed their craft beer selection with Shrimp/​Crab stack. I enjoy discovering favorite beer/​food pairing on weekends. It is a great way to spend an evening.

This place was a huge disappointment. After waiting almost an hour for dinner to be served, only two of the four plates were brought out. Finally the other two came. Mine was well done instead of rare and served with fries instead of the veggies I’d asked for so I sent it back. The next time it came out without the fried onions on top and the burger was raw not rare. The waiter said it was only his second day. The manager said, «so they forgot the fried onions.» Please don’t make the same mistake we did. Don’t go there. Wish I could give no stars.

I love this place. My family and I have been here a few times and I felt like I must write them a review. The service is friendly, food delicious and atmosphere inviting and stimulating. The beer selection is out of this world and changes frequently. The staff always recommend a great beer to go with our meal. The kids love it too. It is a very kid-​friendly place. This is by far the favorite place I have found for a great casual night out in or around Fairfield. Give it a try!!!

I can’t say enough about how great this place was. We stopped for lunch on our way from Jersey to a hockey game in Bridgeport. Our entire group loved the place. It had everything: great food, great beers, and great service. Very nice establishment and very clean too. I did have one complaint… they are not in NJ! I do plan on going back next time I’m in Connecticut though.

One of my favorite restaurants. Great Irish bartender — have the merry monk burger and don’t be turned off by the fried egg — it’s exactly what you’ve been looking for. Has phenomenal beers on tap to try with new ones coming in. Great atmosphere, beautiful place to be. Love it.

We go to the Crafty Monk every few days. It’s a great place to get some food, have some great beers and have an awesome conversation with the owner who’s often tending bar. Steak Sandwich is the best and the Truffle fries are amazing. They have a huge selection of craft beers and change out the kegs relatively frequently so there’s always something new to try. We often go here to watch the local football game, grab a pint and some food. I really enjoy coming here and hope this place is around for a good long time.

Stopped in here a few weeks ago for some apps and we werent disappointed! Got crab cakes, chicken quesadilla and some kind of spring roll (sorry i dont remember what was in them!). The crab cakes were heavenly — jumbo lump and the sauce was divine! The quesadilla was fresh and flavorful (and so filling!). The spring rolls were good, albeit greasy. If you can find a way to either lessen the grease or bake them or drain them longer, they’ll be spectacular! The flavor was spot on, i just cant eat/​handle a lot of grease. We will definitely be back to try a few more things on the menu. I hear the brunch is amazing and i cant wait to try it!

Great food and our waiter, Neal, was so charismatic and attentive. The owner, Lisa, was also very kind and genuine. a great place ambience and staff for every type of person.

Amazing food! Fish and chips were battered and fried to perfection– just the right amount of fish and breading with great flavor. To add to it, the tartar sauce was so tasty. The hand cut fries were excellent, and to top it all off, there is a variety of dipping sauces available to go with the fries! Great atmosphere. We will definitely be back.

Very good. Nice, but not overwhelming, beer selection. Good/​interesting app selection. Our party of 6 had burgers, fish and chips, chicken entrée, beef stir fry, and grilled cheese, and everyone really enjoyed their meals. Service was great. We’ll be back!

Fantastic! Glad to see the disappointing The Field has become something great. 40 taps, cool staff and creative pub grub. Well done!

I didn’t walk away from here hating The Crafty Monk, but that’s about as far as I’m willing to go in terms of endorsing the place. This is a spot best reserved for locals who like a good beer selection.
We were a group of 6 around 3pm on a Saturday afternoon. The place was D-​E-​D dead empty on the restaurant side, but there did appear to be a small (and somewhat depressing) bridal/​baby/​whatever shower going on in their extended event space.
However, on the restaurant side, we were the only patrons.
Service was abysmal, but it appeared as though they were understaffed, as the two servers appeared frazzled, yet friendly and apologetic. I’m guessing the aforementioned shower kept some of their employees busy, but it took a good hour from when we were seated to when we were fed (remember, we were the only ones eating in the restaurant).
The beer selection is GREAT. Lots of options to try if you want to branch out, including some rotating specials, as well as enough staples to not intimidate those who are less adventurous.
The food is KIND OF OKAY, as long as you stick with the basics. My chicken sandwich was fine, though they screwed up my order of fries, and the advertised «baguette» was more of a Portuguese roll. As I write this, it occurs to me that, apparently, I’m picky about the nationality of my bread. Also, this is one of the rare moments when I’m defending anything French.
One unfortunate member of the group ordered the Black Bean Veggie Burger, which was a huge mistake. It was more of a black-​bean purée on a roll, which is fine, if you’re into that sort of thing. Anything advertised as a «burger,» though, should never be able to be spread with a knife.
With so many new/​interesting options just down the road in Fairfield, you can do better for food. For a place to grab a beer with some friends, though, this is not a bad spot.

This place is a great bar to hang out with friends. I really love the vast beer selection. Music is set at a good volume for conversation. Wayne is by far my favorite bartender in the Black Rock area. He’s friendly and attentive and remembered our faces and drinks by the second visit. I always stop by The Crafty Monk on a night out.

Not bad, but definitely only mediocre. Turkey burger was extremely dry, yucca fries were okay. Appetizers were overpriced: only 2 pieces in the fried brie, for a cost of $ 10.
Waiter was very nice, good and attentive. But the food was not great; I wouldn’t oppose coming back, but I also definitely wouldn’t volunteer to.

This place is FANTASTIC! For of us are on a road trip to new Hampshire and stopped for a bite after reading the good reviews on the road.
The steak sandwich is insane. Perfectly cooked to order with Steakhouse quality meat. The blackened chicken sandwich (black Rock chicken) was very tasty. Both sandwiches were HUGE.
Both women got the crab cakes. The crab is minced and the flavor engulfs everything. It’s a winner.
The fries are hand cut and more like wedges than fries. Great quality. We all loved the sweet potato fries and the sauces are a treat to try. Go for the pesto aeoli, Wasabi, or bbq.
If we didn’t live hours away, we would be regulars. Locals are lucky.

Traditional Irish themed bar.
Patrick & his lot take care of you here w 100s of world & micro beer choices. Nice interior (as it was when it was the Field).
Huge open windows, great back round music, good service. Came for brews so we didn’t eat.
Well worth a look into for HH at least.

After driving by this place daily I finally decided to check this place out. I came by for dinner with my fiancé and it was great! The interior has remained much the same as The Field — with the bar section then the dining area at the back, but with a facelift so it looks a bit cleaner and more modern.
As you might imagine, the beer list is huge. 40 draught beers on tap with many rotating brews. They also have a decent sized wine and cocktail menu. Our waiter Sam was really friendly and professional, and knowledgable about the beer list and helped me find one id like.
We ordered Rueben spring rolls as an appetizer — kind of an odd menu item but surprisingly really good! I ordered the hanger steak, which had a nice char on the outside and was cooked perfectly to medium. My fiancé ordered the smokehouse burger — I stole a bite, then another, and one more bite. It was delicious.
Their menu has a lot of variation — burgers and sandwiches in the $ 11 range, all the way up to sirloin steak, stuffed chicken breast, a few pasta options, and more. Overall it’s well priced and everything was very tasty. Eager to try more of their menu!
They also do brunch on Sunday’s — making them one of very few places in Black Rock that do so.
As I mentioned the service was great. Sam was really friendly and warm, but didn’t harass us throughout the meal constantly checking up on us either. He knew he menu and beer list really well so he answered all our questions knowledgeably — which was great for first timers like us.

Everything was great except the service – very nice waitress, but it took a while to get our drinks, food, and even after dinner coffee!
The ambiance was very warm, the fireplace was going, and dimly lit. We sat in the dining room but the bar is great to post up at. Great place for a date! I went with my parents. Such is life.
I took about ten minutes for our drinks to come. This was especially frustrating because after ten minutes, the waitress came back to say that the beer my dad had ordered was kicked. He selected another one. Another five minutes later, the waitress came back to say that one was kicked as well! A coincidence that it happened to both of his choices but it soured the mood.
We had the wings for an appetizer – they were great! I believe the flavoring was orange sweet chili. Perfect to share-​there were about 10 wings.
Everyone was happy with their meals – burger, monkfish, and stuffed chicken breast (especially the truffle cream sauce!). Huge portions-​great for leftovers.
It took another several minutes for my dad’s after dinner coffee to come (poor guy!)
I’m so glad a nice restaurant replaced the field-​just step up service time and I will become a regular!

I have mixed feelings about my experience. The beer menu is large, but I’m not thrilled with the options. It felt really random and there were not a lot of options from the great local breweries. The server was beyond nice, checking twice on allergies for us, but the food took way too long to come out. 20 minutes for apps and 30 for entrees but the place was only ¹⁄₃ full.
I ordered truffle French Fries and the wife got Yuca Fries. Hers were good, but tasted distinctly fishy. They obviously used the same frier for fish and chips. Mine tasted more like oil soaked potato. No crunch at all. Barely a fry really. The only redeeming quality was their extensive list of mayo dipping sauces. Not for everyone, but I love a chipotle mayo.
We had an opposite experience with the entrees. I ordered shepards pie and received a very generous portion. It was good, however the dish might as well have been ground beef and mashed potato. Very few veggies in it, which I found weird.
The wife ordered a salmon salad. Vegetables seemed fresh and crisp, but again the fish was cooked a little off. The salmon tasted very fishy. We both love fish, so no issue, but I’ve never had salmon with such a strong flavor like that before.
Over all we had fun. The servers are great and the menu has a lot of options. (Empanada of the day anyone?). Unfortunately I didn’t see anything that made this place stand out against the other 4 bar and restaurants in the neighborhood. I think that’s the main weakness of the place. They’re trying to be like everyone else and in the end they meld into the crowd. I may go back, but I’m not dying too.